Reddit reviews Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
We found 44 Reddit comments about Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. This book will scare you into sleeping more.
There is also a great Joe Rogan interview with the author. Everyone should watch it.
You really should pick up [Why We Sleep](Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501144316/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CU83Bb1KV9ZXS) before you decide. Pretty good evidence that there are serious detrimental long term effects on losing even little bits of sleep. Be careful.
Read Why we sleep by Matthew Walker. He's a sleep researcher and covered this topic extensively. There are also tips on how to improve sleeping quality (such as regular schedule, avoiding blue light and screens, avoiding alcohol, etc)
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
This book does a really good job of explaining the impact of less than 7 hours of sleep a night (TLDR it will kill you early)
Here's a metastudy with many (many) footnotes on sleep duration and mortality.
Just for longevity, this makes sleep at least as important as exercise for mortality.
(Source: I work in the sleep industry)
Sleep. Fix your fucking sleep. It is your foundation for improving everything else.
Audit your routines and schedules. Are you using your phone/TV right up until the moment you close your eyes? Are you going to sleep at a consistent time? What does your caffeine intake look like, especially in the latter half of your day?
If you don’t fix this, your lifts are the least of your worries. Your sleep, or lack thereof, will largely dictate most areas of your life, from your health, to your relationships, your motivation, as well as your mental, physical, and sexual performance, and through secondary effects, your academic/career/financial life as well.
Fix. Your. Fucking. Sleep.
Start here (20 minutes). Then here (2 hours).
Then read this.
Copying a comment I made earlier today.
Everyone’s saying that the doctor’s wrong, and I get why. However, conquering depression, as a rule, does mean that you have to try despite how bleak things feel.
Know what’s empirically a good idea. I dont care if you shave, but shower once a day. Get your nutrients. People are in worse positions than you are and you should feel gratitude in that. Other practices are important too but a smidge unorthodox. Meditation is great and there is an app on iOS and Android called Waking Up that has made an enormous impact on countless people. If you cannot afford an account, they will make you an account for free and if after a year you can’t yet afford it, email them once more for another year of membership.
Email: [email protected]
Also, get an app that tracks your sleep. Android iOS
Do not forsake your sleep. It’s not cool. The middle class merely bought into it being “cool.” If you need some science here’s a book that knows its shit. If your depression is fucking you then get it on Audible with a free trial or listen, listen, listen. This is no small thing.
Forget your weight. Are you fat? So? Why does that matter? Americans are fat. I’m fat. Eat better. Smoothie. Try doing some exercises because it feels good to be limber or some cardio because your brain feels GREAT once you do. If your joints are fucked go swimming. Pay for a membership or use your school. They’re probably billing you to keep the lights on anyway.
Why do you think labeling yourself as a coward is a good thing? Genuinely, why? Even subconsciously, why? You have to choose to be better. The pills or this doctor will never ever fix your problems. Look, all of this was typed out in the bathroom. I’m on the can and I believe in you. And my ass hurts so im going to stop here, but I have more information and I will reply to you if you want to take this further. Ask your questions.
Recent scientific research conducted by renowned neurologists has essentially proven that the shorter your sleep, the shorter your lifespan.
We are only now beginning to fully realize just how much damage even a week of sleep deprivation has on an individual. u/just-home, I suggest this bestseller if you're interested in making everyday life a lot better :)
Please don't pull all-nighters. If we're talking studying, work, or whatever, you'll be more efficient the next day and get more done than you would ever have gotten done during said all-nighter. It's a genuinely stupid, inefficient thing to do.
Why we sleep
I recently finished reading a book called Why We Sleep that changed the way I think about it in a dramatic way.
The author (Matthew Walker) addresses the issue of insomnia and offers tips to overcome insomnia.
He talks about using a specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as a way to address underlying sleep problems instead using a band-aid approach. There are some apps for CBT-I, but I don't have any experience using them.
Looking at your situation, there are a few tips that will probably be more helpful than others. First things first: define a time to go to sleep and a time to wake up. Stick to those times every single day, even weekends. If your experience is anything like mine, it could take 4-6 weeks to get used to the change.
Next, if you're laying in bed unable to fall asleep (after 20-30 minutes), get up and do something relaxing. You want your bed to be associated with sleep and rest, not anxiety from not being about to sleep.
I often use the Sleep With Me podcast to help me fall asleep. Highly recommend giving that a try.
It's worth nothing that melatonin isn't actually effective, except in older people and while trying to deal with jet lag.
If you're a fan of the Joe Rogan podcast, the Matthew Walker episode is basically his book condensed into a two hour conversation.
ETA: Rogan podcast
List of good sleep tips
The book also goes into the negative effects of sleeping pills, as well as the incredible benefits of good sleep. Highly recommend for a better understanding of what is going on and things you can do to make the changes.
I would recommend the book Why We Sleep. It really changed my thoughts on sleep. I now consider sleep the most important thing you can do for your health followed by eating well and exercising. I was getting up at 5 am to run but life made it hard to be asleep by 9 pm so I ended up finding ways to fit my runs in elsewhere. 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night is incredibly important.
I met a black belt at a globetrotters camp who recommended Why We Sleep to me, it's a fascinating book and really changed how I view sleep and gave me a renewed focus on getting enough sleep.
I highly recommend your checking out this recent book, Why We Sleep. It's stuffed full of studies from recent decades showing the vast importance for the physiological and psychological effects of sleep, and warns of all kinds of bad things that happen when short sleep occurs, impacting memory, learning, the immune system, and so on. I point this out because if you're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, your body is paying a heavy, heavy price. :(
I suspect advanced meditators are more susceptible to thinking that they don't need sleep because of their increased conscious power, even though the science shows that sleep is a universal necessity across the animal kingdom.
The book Why We Sleep gets into it more. There are studies showing that due to Daylight Savings, by losing just an hour of sleep, there is an increase in accidents among teens and heart attacks among older people.
His talk at Google was very enlightening,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXflBZXAucQ
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
Off topic but you should considering swapping some of that exercise for more sleep. Source: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
The way I understand die-off type reactions is that they mean that your detoxification pathways are overwhelmed...not necessarily that lots of things are dying (but it may be both). Medications, natural or otherwise, can be harsh and may need to be processed by our liver or other detox pathways.
So, before we start trying to kill things, I think it's wise to try and support our detoxification pathways. We also need to work to support our immune system that will naturally kill (or at least make them weaker to supplements) things like candida even without external supplements or medication that.
So - once this "die off/dextox pathway overwhelm" stops - or even before then - I would look very deeply these aspects of your life:
This is actually a genetic thing that people have little to no control over. You are preprogrammed to be a night owl, a morning person, or somewhere in between. Source: Why We Sleep -- https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
There is no substitute for 8 hours of sleep per night. If you need evidence, here's evidence: Why We Sleep
Yo do not need a sleep substitute, you need a non-negotiable daily 8 hour sleep opportunity and your husband needs to get on baord with that. I would have a sit down with him where you explain this is a health issue and brainstorm ways to make this workable. Maybe having a teenager come as a mother's helper in the mornings would help. Maybe he needs more opportunities for time for himself. Maybe you need to work on finding a day job eventually. Anyway, focus on those opportunities, not ways to cheat yourself out of even more sleep.
ETA: Just wondering if the 3yo and 1yo are sleeping well. Maybe your husband is grouching because he is sleep deprived too? Getting him some daytime help so he can take a nap may really help even if you have to stretch the budget for several months.
I can recommend his book "Why We Sleep"(https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316)
Not that it fixed my sleep problems, but it's a good read/listen!
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
The guy talking, Matthew Walker, authored this book. It goes into a lot of detail on the mechanisms you're referring to.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I highly recommend learning more about the critical importance of sleep. Sleep apnea is not innocuous. It increases your risk for cardiovascular events and neurodegenerative disorders. Here's one of the best books, if not the best, on the subject: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
and here's a three-part podcast with the author that is incredibly informative: https://peterattiamd.com/matthewwalker1/
Somewhere in their they talk about dopamine's role in memory formation and how that, among other mechanisms, is involved with sleep deprivation and memory loss. But yea, do your best to lose weight. Let me know if you want any direction there.
How's your sleep?
Chronic sleep deprivation (meaning a habit of less than 8 hours a night) will shred even a non-ADHD-brain's ability to focus. Starting with an ADHD brain means you get seriously impaired that much quicker.
I can speak from experience over the past few years of getting only 6-7 hours on average (on purpose, to treat my sleep disorder, but WOW what a cost). I felt like I was losing my mind and stuff like reading novels or learning was impossible most days, where before I inhaled books like nothing. Even dropped out of college because the slight burden of a part-time course was annihilating me.
I've changed my schedule to let myself sleep more and noticed a small difference so far. There's a useful introductory book that came out recently and goes into the science of sleep; https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I've been reading through it, very slowly, and it's won me over to prioritising 8 hours of sleep as my main health goal right now. Might not help everyone but if you're not sleeping enough that would affect anyone so it may be somewhere to start.
I would create new accounts to upvote you multiple times for that book. It is logical, eye-opening, terrifying, and life-changing, all at the same time.
For any continuing readers:
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
I'd probably still aim to get out for my run, even on less sleep than normal. However, 8 hours of sleep is critical to our mental and physical wellness. There's an excellent book of the topic of sleep if you're a reader: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Totally, highly recommend everyone pick up the book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.
It goes over the torrent of health problems that are all directly connected to obtaining less than optimal amounts of sleep, or less than optimal quality of sleep.
For those who would rather watch something, here is the author presenting at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXflBZXAucQ
I notice that you sleep 6-7 hours during week days and "catch up" on saturday and sunday.
According to the book: why we sleep, you can't really get back the sleep you lost. You might feel better by sleeping longer, but you lose some benefits of sleep that you can't get back.
Paralysis prevents sleepwalking. It is fairly uncommon for sleepwalkers to actually hurt themselves in a modern home, but the evolutionary roots of dreaming stretch back to the earliest land animals. If you're an outdoor critter, stumbling around at night will make you an easy meal for a predator.
Why We Sleep is a great book on the medical- evolutionary aspects of sleep, it appears to be essential for memory consolidation in complex animals, but even single celled organisms go through a cycle of stasis where they do biochemical repair.
As a Jungian, I consider sleep to be an immersion in the Unconscious, and a time to merge with the transpersonal force of creation. From the outside it looks like memory consolidation, from the inside it looks like travel through an alternate dimension- and both are true in some sense.
Yes. It's a book by Matthew Walker. I think it would actually be a good artc book even though it barely touches on exercise.
Amazon link: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501144316/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_z9RTBb1QNY26H
Haha got up at 6:20 but that only left me 10 minutes before work so I just wrote out a quick poem.
After reading this book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I know sleep is the main thing to get. I made the mistake of going to bed too late.
Read the book Why we sleep by Matthew Walker https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
It might help,it’s a great book
> Your brain knows when it needs to sleep by measuring a chemical which builds up during the day. When you sleep, this chemical, adenosine, gets cleared out
The book "Why we sleep" goes into wonderful detail and describes several studies that are of great interest to those curious about sleep.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
Tehniku sa papirićima imaš detaljnije objašnjenu ovde. App za komp i za mobilni ovde (mada ja više preporučujem fizičke kartice). Način obnavljanja za najefikasnije pamćenje imaš ovde. Koristi ih za najbitnije podatke i definicije.
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Gingko je marketinška prevara. Nemaš nikakvo realno dejstvo od njega osim placeba. Najbitnije, njegov efekat bi trebalo da bude poboljšanje pamćenja (u šta čisto sumnjam) ali ne čini ništa da poboljša motivaciju i pospanost. Nastavi da ga uzimaš, nemam ništa protiv, i ja ga popijem ponekad ali ne očekuj efekat koji će presudno uticati na tvoje učenje.
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Ako uzmeš modafinil, preporučujem ne više od dva puta nedeljom, jednu tabletu ujutro (efekat je oko 14 sati, tako da ti može ometati spavanje ako ne uzmeš ujutro). Uglavnom danima kada te mrzi da bilo šta uradiš i spava ti se. Ostalim danima kada si relativno motivisan ti ne treba. Način sigurnog i efikasnog uzimanja imaš ovde. Naručiti ga možeš preko -[email protected]. Cena je 170 dinara po tableti. Prodaje se u pakovanju od po 10. Najbolje ti je da uzmeš Modalert brend za početak. Ovo je sajt ljudi koji nabavljanju. Domaći korisnici i njigova iskustva ovde.
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Dodatni saveti:
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Osam sati spavanja - OBAVEZNO! Veći deo pamćenja se odvija u toku spavanja. Gradivo koje jednom pročitaš se u procesu spavanja se obnavlja preko 20x. Jači efekat ti ima dobro spavanje nego bilo koja nootropic droga za pamćenje. Imaš ovu super knjigu o tome. Napravi redovan raspored kada ležeš i kada se budiš. Znatno diže energiju i koncentraciju.
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Ako si pri kraju, realna procena koji takođe moraš napraviti je da li ti telefon/ komp/ društvene mreže kvare koncentraciju i odvlače ti pažnju. Meni je to bio problem, ali ne mora da znači da je i tebi, tako da ignoriši ovaj deo ako nije. Najbolje je da tih par meseci učiš u čitaonici, ili ako baš hoćeš kući imaš aplikacije za privremeno blokiranje kompjutera, slične imaš i na telefonu. Tako nećeš imati ništa drugo da radiš osim da učiš.
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Pomodoro tehnika je takođe odlična ako ti je teško da počneš sa učenjem. To je u suštini učenje 25 minuta pa 5 minuta pauze. Možeš i da povećaš ako imaš bolju koncentraciju, meni je ova tehnika najefikasnija u 55/15 odnosu, ali sve je to stvar slobodne procene i toga koliko te drži mesto. App za mobilni.
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Nadam se da će ti nešto od toga biti od pomoći.
Here's a book on this topic. It scared the shit out of me. The stats on those that get 6hrs or less is really compelling. Everything seems to unravel with less than adequate sleep.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
Drop some actual science on her.
Hearing this guy in interviews and reading his book led to some major revelations about the how, why and how much about sleep. Google him.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
You're on the same combo as me. A little seroquel for sleep and some lamictol. I'm going to give you a funny recommendation. It's not a self help book, but this book convinced me that sleep is the best medicine I can take and ever since reading it I've prioritized sleep above all things AND, perhaps more importantly, come to love sleep and "over sleeping".
Before the book I was Mr. "I only need 6 hours of sleep". Now I'm Mr. "I want at least 8.5 and more is better."
I used to have all kinds of trouble with sleep and I feel like a lot of it was because I didn't actually want to sleep… something happened after reading (listening to actually) this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
Please read this book. It is changing my entire life.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I'm so glad I found this thread. I've had my galaxy watch for 5 days so far, and I've only had 5-8mins total of deep sleep for 2 out of the 5 days. Having read "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams", I learned that you pretty much die quickly without healthy sleep. Last night it says between 1am -1:30am there is no data even though I never took off the watch (and I was dead asleep). I suspect its buggy code. They should just steal the sleep algorithms from Fitbit.
Yes, this is trouble. I recommend this book for you to decide for yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I'm sorry to hear that. Im also the head of my household and I understand how much it sucks when you don't get enough sleep and are the one who's supposed to make the money regardless. If you haven't read it I can fully recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316 it has very good general information on how sleep works and how to improve your quality of sleep. Even if it improves your sleep just by 10% it's worth every penny. Good luck there!
On top of what everyone else said, make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep every day, 8 if possible. Most of the recovery and fat burning actually happen when you sleep, but it takes several hours for the process to even start (after 5 or 6). That's why you can't really "catch up" on sleep (ie: 6 hours sleep + 2 hours nap is not the same thing as 8 hours of sleep, because some processes take 5 to 6 hours to begin and last for 2).
There's a great book that covers all of this in great details, called "Why we sleep" (here). If you want the TL;DR version, the author was a guest on JRE (here).
I've tried a ton of stuff to fix my 'sleep maintenance insomnia'. I can only sleep 5 hours then still tired but wake up. I literally have almost no stress in my life right now (unusual I know) so don't think CBT will help. I've also used at least 5 sleep trackers: Zeo, Beddit, ResMed, FitBit and a couple more.
The fascinating thing about Trazadone is it great increases my deep sleep according to my ResMed tracker (the best and surprisingly cheapest sleep tracker). I'm still short on total sleep and experimenting again with melatonin - specifically REMFresh mentioned by my psychologist.
I've not had nightmares from Trazadone in the last several months, but I also almost never have nightmares so am not currently pre-disposed. I don't watch horror movies though.
Sorry about the anxiety and depression.
Also a friend just recommended this book which is great: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
I've read a dozen books and hundreds of other articles. Reading this is the first time I've learned new and clarifying information in a long time. It is extremely well researched + written by a world class sleep expert. It's also on Audible which is great if you have tired eyes like me.
Hope some of that's helpful. Though not all pointedly answering your question these are the most valuable things I've learned in the last year.
I'd recommend trying to cut out horror movies and continuing with the trazadone. My gf loves horror too. It distracts her from her anxiety and though I don't claim to be an expert it logically self perpetuates some of these issues. I have other behaviors I need to break which perpetuate mine as well.
Full disclosure: I'm overcoming my own sleep difficulties (after 20 years of not sleeping well). My advice is based on what is working for me.
Some reading for you:
If you like the sound of the program in Jacobs's book, I suggest finding a therapist trained in CBT-I (cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia). The program requires you to confront your anxiety about sleep -- anxiety you might not know you have -- and a therapist can help. I also recommend the CBT-i Coach app, which lets you easily log your sleep data each day and, after you log a week's worth of data, prescribes sleep and wake times. You might also consider having a sleep study done to rule out physical (as opposed to behavioral) causes.
Good luck.
I have a similar arc and would like to emphasize a few things that I find important. Please take these suggestions with a hefty grain of salt because my journey is ongoing, I've slipped many a times, and each person is unique in their own right so what is categorically important for me may not be the same for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
That link is a great book changed my whole outlook on the importance of proper rest.
Just to tie this back to fasting somewhat, seeing as it is a fasting sub lol, I, like many others and yourself as well I'm sure, have found fasting to be an incredible way of providing emotional and mental clarity.
Overall, I think what you're doing is awesome! I'm 26, so not too far from you age wise, but I feel like (and i don't mean to come off as elitist or anything) mindsets like this are definitely in the minority in today's society or at least in our age cohort.
Oh and lastly be careful with your reintroduction of food on the longer fasts. This is anecdotal, but I've found that when indulging in my 5 day fast refeeds, I generally will crash, and subsequently find myself prone to start entertaining the idea of going out and buying a tin or firing up my computer and searching some illicit site.
Be vigilant with yourself but don't beat yourself too much if you slip. I've found it's a fine line to walk. Anyways, apologies for the rant. Best of luck in adhering to the plan you've set forth and hopefully it will reap great things for you in the same way that I hope mine does for me as well.